Ann Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Just wondering if anyone has seen or read about the huge payout to Cristina Malcolm who was left with serious short term memory problems after misdiagnosis of SAH 7 years ago. Hope it helps her in some way. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/280584 Here is one article on the story although there are many others and she was on TV on Monday morning. Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod123 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Hi yes i saw her on gmtv yesterday and to be honest she seems no worse than anyone else and memory wise much of the time Merrills memeory is'nt 10 mins long, miss diagnoses from what i have read is actually a very common thing but good luck to her,as this does seem to happen far too many times,perhaps if they have to start paying for their mistakes it might be a good thing for the future suferers of an sah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) Yes, some people on here, like Merill, seem to suffer similarly.What I found fascinating was that she was a sudoku addict. I understand that this relies on associative memory, the same type of memory used for facial recognition etc. The brain must work in such strange ways to be so very selective in the way it is damaged by SAH. It is all so complex it is no wonder medics don't know what to make of us all!! Edited October 28, 2009 by Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellieone Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 i don't think i could take that amount of money from the health service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Mario Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 i don't think i could take that amount of money from the health service It is not from the NHS, it comes from their insurance. This does not mean that I condone it. We live in a "compo happy" society now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Well, I'm afraid that I agree with Kellie and perhaps, there are many of us on BTG that were mis-diagnosed and could sue their GP's.... However, when my Husband complained to our GP practice, about the way that I was treated and mis-diagnosed at 38 and then at 42 years of age, they would not admit anything, as they obviously thought, that he wanted to "sue" ..... however, he just wanted to make them aware of what had happened and to stop the same from happening to somebody else .... Many of us struggle with getting any Government benefit post SAH at all ..... Whether the compensation comes from the Government, Insurance Company or whoever .... somebody does have to pay for it .... the money comes from somewhere and Insurance companies are there to make a profit ..... let's hope that other NHS patients, whatever their problem, don't end up paying for it.... but, ultimately, they probably will ..... and let us hope that the UK never go down the line of private health/medical insurance, due to the suing culture as we will all be paying through the nose for it .... whether we are working or not working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Hi I totally agree Karen it does ultimately come from the taxpayers and must affect other services in the long run. Misdiagnosis and treatment of any condition can cause severe problems to people but with SAHs is there any guarantee that the outcome would have been less severe if treated more promptly. We are all very aware of the risks involved with the types of procedures used and what part of the brain the Anuerysm is located in can have more of an effect on damage caused and recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellieone Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 as karen said many people are unfortunantly mis-diagnosed and if they are, as janet said would it have made a difference anyway? it will effect services in the long run. like many of us my memory has been effected but not as bad as many others. i hate what has happened to me but i am grateful to be here. i can walk, talk, see, many people will never do that again. alot of us don't get that much care from the local authority or can't afford to pay for the care needed, then they end up with a poor quality of life when they deserve so much more. i've just read cristina malcolms story, and as her bleed was a level 5 i'd say she was a very lucky lady. besides her memory loss she does not have any other problems. i don't mean that her memory loss is minor but compaired to how she could have been effected, like many people on here i think she has done really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 I agree with everyone re compensation culture. Diagnosing many conditions is a minefield and so many people present at doctors with various symptoms, some of them exaggerated, that it must be almost impossible for doctors to always get it right. Having lived in the USA I totally agree with Karen re private health, the NHS is an amazing facility. The lady concerned still has the ability to lead a reasonably good life, unlike so many others post SAH, including people on here, who get no compensation or little help from anywhere. Quality care, treatment and after care should be available to all equally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jess Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Hi there I just can't help thinking how selfish her family are. I could of got alot of money however I chose not to go ahead because of how many people would die for them to give me that money, yes she should of had some maybe however 4 mill come on noone needs that much. At the end of the day it would of probably had the same outcome regardless of when she was diagnosed, I was just grateful to be alive. Jess.xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod123 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Hi I agree 4.4 million is a massive amount of money, and i would not like to see our country become like the compensation culture they have in America, BUT i do actually believe that doctors should be held accountable for certain misdiagnoses, even with my limited knowledge if someone came to me and said they had the worst headache you could imagine i would think (rightly or wrongly) Haemorrhage i have actually read some real horror stories about diagnoses of sah,I would say though through out Merrills illness the treatment she received was second to none and at at no time did i feel that not enough was being done and in recovery although sometimes the help is slow coming it does come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Er_whatsename Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hi people, First post but been lingering for a while. I think that the £4.5 million is justified. they have the rest of there life to consider & look after & the cost have to come from somewhere. Beside's, this government spend vast amount more than that on stupid projects that they then abandon. I can understand the anguish involved here & my story isn't to disimilar to there's. I had a major bleed, all the symptoms except i managed to keep myself from passing out. I went to the A&E the following day & was diagnosed as viral meningitus. Three other A&E visit produced diagnosis of migraine, cluster headaches & even my GP said it just a cluster headache. I was told to stop seeing other doctors & to go home & come back in two weeks where they can eliminate migraine & look a little deeper. I begged for a scan as i knew i had a bleed but every doctor refused saying there's nothing sinister going on. After i exausted all avenues trying to get help, all i got was pain killers that never touched the extreme terrible pain i was suffering. 10 days of not moving from my sofa, not eating because i was still vomiting, not sleeping due to pain, i has another major haemorrhage. When i came around five hours later i realised i also had a stroke. I was rushed into hospital & i told them i had a bleed & a stroke & it still took them four hours to scan me. & then they found the blood. I was operated on the next day & because of the vasospasms they had to abandon the op have way through. I refused the crainotomy as my head cannot take anymore, however the damaged caused has left me useless, still to this day. So, these doctors either get trained by our government or the doctors get shipped in from third world countrys, but either way, someone has to account for there actions. I've lost my house, my business, my relationship, my mind & i'm still in considerable pain. Would £4.5 million help me, it wouldn't even touch the sides from what i was put through. So the £4.5 million they got awarded is just, & very good luck to them in helping them with the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hello and welcome sorry to hear that you were treated so badly but there are quite a few members who were sent home and told it was migraine. I myself was slightly luckier and was admitted to my local hospital had all the necessary scans but had too wait for nearly 6 days before Nuerosurgeons could see and diagnose my condition and was then speedily treated. It would be helpful if you could let us know your name and how long it is since you had your SAH. Look forward to hearing more from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hello and a very warm welcome to you. As Janet has said...so sorry you were treated so badly. I too was sent home saying i had a sick virus. Spent 3 days in bed being sick and in horrendous pain. A friend took me to A & E and luckily for me the Doctor there suspected a bleed and i was scanned. I then was transferred to Neuro and operated on 12 days later . Misdiagnosis seems to happen too often with SAH. Look forward to hearing more from you. Take care Love Tina xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogbrush Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Er_whatsename ?, welcome to behindthegray. It would be helpful if you could post in the "Introduce Yourself" section. That's a very unusual username. Regards Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod123 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hi, sorry to hear your story as i said in the previous post I do think doctors should be held accountable, for very bad judgement,but i do accept that haemorrhage is not always an easy thing to diagnose. My wife had her sah on the same day as you March 27th 2009 her's came on very quickley and everything happened very fast and to be honest i think we were lucky that her's happened how it did with the exception of having to insist that they took her for a scan earlier (they said a 5 hour wait ) had to put my foot down a bit and then they did it within 30 mins, transfered her to Addenbrooks Cambridge, and the treatment she received was brilliant, but i have heard some real horror story's be interested if you posted what difficulties you experience now. best of luck in your recovery, Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Er_whatsename Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hiya all, Thanks for the warm welcome. I used the name ' Er_whatsename' because that's all i seem to be saying for the past seven months. My memory is terrible, as i think it's what we all suffer. After 7 months i'm just beginning to understand & start to live with the problems. The change of character, aggression, memory loss, right side weakness, the inability to deal with others, can't hold a conversation as i have forgotten or have nothing to talk about, time losses, Can't enjoy a newspaper as i forget the paragragh i've just read. That's a strange one, i can read a newspaper page for page, put it down, pick it up five minutes later and wonder how i missed the news on so many pages. One paper can last me all day, although that's not a bad one, it also means i can't plan anything or have any memories. It's taken me two hours writing this as i have to keep reading it. It's terrible. I keep finding full cups of cold tea everywhere. I forget i made them. I can operate if i concerntrate on one thing at a time without distraction. Still, as i'm not claiming any benefits & i'm still living off my bank balance no one seem's to want to know about the problems i have. My surgeon is only interested in the physical/sugery side, & just tell's me my problems are normal, just relax & they will go in time. Talk about being left in limbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jess Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi Whatsename welcome to btg. I must admit I still think the payout is to high, sorry about what happened to you, however like everyone says it is a hard thing to diagnose. 4.5 mill will keep them comfortable for the rest of their lives less would and at the end of the day 10 mill wouldn't of made me feel any better, but I would of been able to live comfortably. I was misdiagnosed went in on the Saturday with an apparent hangover was transferred on the wednesday when they realised their error I was lucky I guess anyway look forward to chatting sometime. Jess.xxx™ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi Would be nice to know your real name. Sadly it seems to be the case...no aftercare....job done and off you go....the emotional side alone is hard to deal with let alone the new you you have to accept and the general recovery. Still with time alot does improve...but very slowly. It is still very early days for you....i wish you well....keep your chin up....things will get better. Take care Love Tina xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi there and warm welcome to the site.... Know it seems a bit lame but you are early in your recovery it all takes a long time.... You have had a very rough ride I have to say which isnt nice..... It is a case of doing one thing at a time I found using a timer worked for me. You SHOULD see about claiming benifit after all if you've paid into it then your intitled to it, they're not going to come to you.... You should see if through the hospital/neuro unit if they have a helpgroup or could offer you councelling...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod123 Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi again, as i said before Merrills aftercare although slow coming was there and the support we get is now quite good, so i have not faced your problems but if Merrill had not received the aftercare i think i would have spoken to her consultant and asked him if she could have a physio, and o/t assesment as we found that they are the paople who the aftercare started with, from what i know you do have to shout very loud and push very hard but if you need the aftercare then you must do you best to get it, not easy for many from what i read so Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 My consultant admitted to me that incorrect procedures were used during my clipping surgery, resulting in my right eyebrow not working at all. No movement whatsoever. I was told it wouldn't work again. I ended up looking sarcastic if I tried to raise my eyebrows as only the one would go up! A number of people told me to sue. I did no such thing, of course. Biting the hand that feeds and all that. My eyebrow started working again all of a sudden a couple of months ago. Splendid! And how silly would I have looked if I'd sued and won? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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